1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compact coin delivery device which delivers coins of a plurality of denominations and having different diameters, one by one for delivery to a coin processing apparatus which can sort coins having different diameters one by one for transfer to a conveyer of the coins.
2. Description of Related Art
It is to be noted that the term “coin” used in the present specification includes a monetary coin, a token, a medal and the like, and further includes circular and polygonal shapes.
Japanese Laid Open Application No. 8-171666 discloses hooking coins by pins fixed to an upper surface of a rotary disk to sort the coins one by one, and transferring the coins to a conveyer for a subsequent process.
Japanese Utility Model Application No. 57-50776 includes receiving coins, one by one, in fan-shaped concave portions opening on an upper surface side and peripheral surface side of a rotary disk, and transferring the coins to a conveyer for a subsequent process.
In the prior art, coins of predetermined denominations are separated at a reject coin branching section and at an overflow branching section in the process of being conveyed by a conveyer belt, and then the coins are dropped through select-by-denomination holes for separation by denomination as shown in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2600066
The sorting of the hooked coins is regulated only by the space between the pins.
Thus, when a difference between the diameters of a maximum diameter coin and a minimum diameter coin is great, the maximum diameter is 28.5 mm of a two-pound coin and the minimum diameter is 18 mm of a five-pence coin, for example, in the case of English currency a problem can occur.
Since the pin space is set considering enough room for different coin accommodation, two minimum diameter coins can slip between a pair of pins, which can cause a problem in that they are not sorted one by one. If the coin is received in a fan-shaped concave portion, two minimum diameter coins do not enter the concave portion. However, gravity is utilized for the transfer to the conveyer for the subsequent process, so that the position of a coin dispensing slot cannot be freely set, leading to a problem of limitation in layout.
In the prior art described above, all the coins are separated into reject coins, overflow coins or denominated coins before being passed through the select-by-denomination holes by the conveyer belt. Specifically, the select-by-denomination holes are arranged in the order of the increasing diameters of the coins along a conveyer path of the coins. The width (orthogonal to the direction in which the coin proceeds) of the select-by-denomination hole is formed slightly larger than the diameter of a target coin. Therefore, the coins are dropped by their own weight through the corresponding select-by-denomination holes and are thus separated.
In recent years, to increase the speed of separating the coins, the speed of conveying the coins has been significantly increased, which can cause a problem in that they are not separated by a predetermined denomination That is, inertia force by the high-speed movement of the coins has caused a problem because the coin cannot drop in the selection hole having a conventional length (length in the direction in which the coin proceeds), and drops in the next selection hole in rare cases.
Thus, the prior art in a highly competitive field is still seeking to resolve the above problems in a compact and economical design.